


Aideen's Reluctant Chosen: Moorland

by Zesraer



Category: Star Stable
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-09-04
Packaged: 2018-07-28 17:36:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7650127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zesraer/pseuds/Zesraer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A city girl reluctantly begins her summer in Jorvik, attending the camp at Moorland Stables. Little does she know, she has a more vested interest in the island and its inhabitants, both man and beast than she initially thought. Soon she finds herself combating a large corporation, but she isn't without allies. Or her own unusual abilities. SPOILERS for in game storylines.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day One, 01 June 2017, Morning: A Jorvik Hello

Off to a nowhere of an island for the summer. For horse camp of all things. Because my parents, both too busy with their babies of companies to remember their daughter is no longer five, decided to indulge in their daughter’s “dream” of attending horse camp. While the only “steed” this city girl wants is a motorbike of her own. God forbid they actually paid attention to me this summer, their only child. But that would be too hard, would mean they would have to defer work to pay attention to me. A sigh escapes my lips as I stare out the window of the jet I was riding, at least I had the benefit of good transportation for the moment. Mom and dad would die if I rode in transport below our social economic status. Like that status is going to mean much where I am going, horse camp means mucking out stables for everyone, a daily chore I don’t think I will cherish. In fact I am already tabulating the days left of summer, my remaining days of mucking out stalls. Well that and dealing with the beasts they call horses. I don’t think I have been near a horse since I was five, and I am pretty sure I got bit by the darn thing then, so I am not super ecstatic to meet more of the species.

I let out a sigh, slumping further down in my seat. I flick through my phone, looking for something to do for the last hour. None of my friends were online, so I couldn’t really converse with anyone and I had already listened to all of the songs stored on my phone. I tried looking up news on this island Jorvik that would be my home for the next three months until school resumes in the fall. I was hoping for one last summer with my friends before my parents arranged this special little trip, all for my last summer before I head off to college, but now I needed to make the best of a situation. There wasn’t much information about the island on the net, which was a tad surprising. Sure there were the basics, information about the riding school, local color information, travel times, city names, stuff like that. But history? Founding? Nothing more than a local legend about a girl and a horse. Nothing really about cultural settlement, or even the horse breeds seen on the island. An information desert, in an era where you can find pretty much anything on the web.

However I did spend most of my last hour of flight time searching for nonexistent dirt on Jorvik. Before I knew it, the little wifi light popped on, indicating it was time to turn my phone off. Even if I wasn’t excited to be here, I would prefer to land safely and in one piece so off went my device as I popped a stick of gum in my mouth to alleviate the the pressure change that was going to take place. As I looked out the window, I noted that the runway was rather small for a jet like the one I was currently riding in. I did have faith in my pilot though, having known him for years. If anyone could land on a runway that was a bit too small, it was this man. Quite frankly, he was more of a parent than either of my blood parents. Uncle Skoll, as he insisted I called him, had been in my life as long as I could remember. And had influenced it more than either of my parents, it was from Skoll that I got my love of machines and the skills to repair them. As if to prove my thought process correct, a slight bump indicates our landing but nothing worse transpires. A voice crackles over the intercom, warm and comforting in its familiarity. “We are grounded again, Miss Faolan. Are you ready to meet your ferry? Unfortunately as I told Mr. and Mrs. Nordskov, I cannot take you all the way to the Moorland Stables. There is no landing strip on that island. I will have to say goodbye here.” The door to the plane opened and as I rose from my seat, shouldering my backpack, Skoll stepped from the cockpit. “Can I help you with your bags Miss Faolan?”

“Skoll, please it’s just Fae. Save the formalities for my parents.” I look at him, teary eyed. Quite frankly Skoll was the one I would miss the most this summer, even more than my friends. He chuckled, his amusement at my failed attempt to be an uncaring teenager crumbling in front of him as I ran to give him one last hug. “I’ll be fine Skoll, I didn’t pack much. Mother and Father sent a check ahead to ensure some else could buy me ‘proper riding clothes’ as most of my attire was deemed unsuitable.” I know my tone was bitter, ruining our last few moments together but quite frankly I didn’t care. I found it upsetting that my parents believed in nothing but the best for their daughter but all I really wanted was a bit of their time. It’s not like they were neglectful or anything, I know I sometimes made it sound that way. No they ensured I had everything, the right interactions, the right stuff, everything I needed or wanted. Save for a bit more time with them. That’s what upset me, they would have known what I wanted to do this summer if they had gotten to know their teenage daughter more. But as I had gotten older they had gotten busier, which amounted to less time together. I acted as though it didn’t care but I did. Quite a bit in fact, which is probably why I viewed Skoll as such a father figure, and why this parting was so hard.

“Don’t cry my little Fae-child.” He says affectionately, “I’ll be back before you know it. Just be sure to show these people and horses who you really are. No one can resist you once they get to know you dear.” I return his smile and hug him tight. “I’d better see you back here in three months Uncle Skoll. Tiny runway or no. Don’t get into any trouble without me.” I give him a wink before darting down to the tarmac. He calls after me “Hey that’s what I am supposed to say!” We both know that the other will be there at the exact time specified, and are doing our best to hide our tears from the other. Him with a bit more success than me.

As I cross the tarmac, I look back once more at the family jet, see him waving from the window. I give a quick wave back before grabbing my bags and running towards the ferry that I knew I had to catch to actually get to Moorland Stables, the place where my camp was being held. The place that I would be calling home for the next few months. I find the ferry without problem, even secure a small cabin for the ride over thanks to a bit of name dropping. Not really relishing the idea of interacting with the other students, or gods forbid, their horses, the nasty beasts, I decided that a nap was in order.

Before I knew it, a gentle knock on my door alerted me to the fact that we had arrived. I yawned, stretched and gathered my things. I waited for most of the other passengers to exit before I left myself, crowds of unusual people made me a bit nervous. I mean every city girl knew that crowds meant pickpockets but some crowds just felt off, made the nerves worse. For some reason this crowd felt similar. I scanned the crowd at the ferry port, quickly finding a man carrying a sign with my surname on it. I walked up to him and he smiled, “Ms. Nordskov?”

“In the flesh and you would be?”

“A stable hand of the Moorland’s. My name is Daniel, I’ll be driving you to the stable.” I nod, eyeing him up. He was no city boy, all together too wholesome and cornfed. A really country boy, cute but not my typical type. I figured I wouldn’t find many guys that fit with my taste this summer, judging from my surroundings. Though he was a gentleman, insisting on grabbing my bags and loading them into a beat up white pickup. It wasn’t long after I climbed into the vehicle that we arrived at Moorland. Daniel opened my door and pointed towards the main courtyard before saying “I’ll take your things up to your room. Justin, the Moorland’s son is waiting for you inside the courtyard there. He will introduce you to your first horse.”

I followed in the direction he indicated, and found myself exchanging one corn fed farmboy for another. This one had a short crop of dark hair on his head and stood about 5’11” putting him a bit taller than me. When he saw me I was greeted with another enormous grin. “Hi, you must be Faolan. I’m Justin, pleased to meet you and welcome to the Moorland Stables! My father, Thomas, and I run these stables. Aren’t they fantastic?” 

He was so excited, and so gushy about the stables, it broke my heart. To be so excited about this dusty place in the middle of nowhere, it was sad. I gave a forced smile, tried to mirror his enthusiasm. “Yea, fantastic.” I couldn’t quite keep all the sarcastic bite out of my voice and I saw him flinch, I grimace. I mean it wasn’t his fault I was stuck here, that fault lies strictly with my parents.“And please, call me Fae. Faolan… it’s too formal, only my parents use it.” The grimace turns into a weak smile, “All my friends call me Fae, and maybe we can be friends?”

At this he is smiling again, my sarcasm forgotten. “Of course, Fae then.” A loud noise, like a gunshot makes me jump. I look around wildly and his smile falls. He points to a big backhoe heading up the road, which must have backfired. “Sorry, right now things are a bit hectic around here, a nasty boss from that big corporation G.E.D, Mr. Kembell, is doing everything he can evict us and tear down the stable to be able to build condos here. We’re still trying to figure out what we can do to stop him, but he’s more slippery than an eel.”

G.E.D. sounded pretty familiar, I was pretty sure my parents had dealt with them at one point. But if I remember right, they hadn’t liked Mr. Kembell either. If I remember right, he made a bad deal and tried to leave them holding the bag. Shady practices all around it seemed, I gritted my teeth together. Sure I might not love the stable, but it was my home for the next few months, and I really didn’t like the stress G.E.D. had caused my parents. Justin must have noticed my dislike, because he placed a hand on my shoulder. “Forget that for now, you are new here and I’m not trying to spoil your summer!” I hold back the retort that my summer is already spoiled. He points to an espresso colored horse with a dark mane, “Over there is Raven’s Shade, who will be your horse this summer. Why don’t you go for a short ride and get to know one another?”

I looked at the horse in the stable in front of me, this Raven’s Shade. I was pretty sure we would not find one another palatable once we got to know each other. As if to prove my point, the stallion looked at me and snorted as if in disdain. Like I was beneath him, I shook my head. I was forcing my emotions on this animal, there is no way he was being disdainful of me. Animals just didn’t think that way. But as I approached his stable, he snorted again, nipping at me when I got close enough, the brat. I glare at the horse, and then at Justin. “He’s just a bit feisty. He’ll warm up to you soon enough. Once you are finished getting to know one another, go talk to May outside the stable in the other courtyard. She can direct you to where one of our stable girls, Jenna, is. Jenna will be your assigned stable hand for the duration of your stay at Moorland, she will answer any immediate questions you have.”

I continue my glare at Raven’s Shade, the stupid beast still acting like a brat. I couldn’t figure out how to approach him without him taking a chunk out of one of my extremities. Eventually I gained the courage to approach the door, unhinging it. There was a split second where Raven looked me straight in the eye, I swear he performed the horse equivalent of a quirked eyebrow. Then he bolted through the door, knocking me down on his way out. Justin let out a yell running to me, to make sure I was ok. “Fae, are you alright? I swear, Raven has never acted this way before.” I got up, brushed myself off and sighed. “I’m not great with horses. My parents kinda enrolled me in this camp without consulting me first. As you can see I would have had some words with them about other summer activities I could be doing. Like picking up trash on the side of highways, teaching little children, or I don’t know waterboarding.”

Justin looked at me, pure disbelief on his face, then he breaks the silence with a hearty laugh, one of those true ones that comes from the very bottom of your belly and affects your whole body. “You really don’t like horses do you? Your parents made a pretty poor choice of summer activities for you then Ms. Nordskov. But you really should try to make the best of it.”

I shrug my shoulders, “That’s the plan. Now let’s go find that little shit of a horse. Looks like you’ve lent out all your others for the summer.” He looks at me quizzically, “You are going to stick with Raven’s Shade? Even after all this? I’m sure we could switch you to a more mellow horse.”

“And make someone else deal with that little shit? No, I don’t back away from a challenge. I will ride Raven’s Shade. And he’s going to deal with it.” Justin shook his head, “You are probably the most stubborn student at this camp right now, but I won’t stop you if you are determined to ride him. But judging from how he’s acting, it won’t be easy.”

I give a smirk, “But easy is no fun. Can’t have me getting bored this summer.” Then I jog off in the direction that Raven’s Shade had bolted.


	2. Day One, 01 June 2017, Evening: An Evening In Jorvik

As I jogged out of the first courtyard, I entered a larger one. I could see a main stable connected to it, but something told me that was the last place my errant horse had run. I noted that a few people were out in the courtyard as twilight approached, most bemoaning the wreckage left behind by a runaway horse. I grimaced as I noted that several of these people seemed to have merchant stalls at the edge of the courtyard, stalls that now had several shelves of overturned goods. I must have visibly shrunk at this point because a girl with red pigtails chuckled as she strode over. “I take it that was your horse that just bolted out of the other courtyard?”

I could only nod mutely before scanning the wreckage. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t think he would do this much damage. I swear I can pay… well my parents can pay for this. Though I will probably be grounded until I turn 18 because of the costs.” The girl shook her head and let out a snort before her chuckles strengthened into a full laugh. “Well we can’t have that, now can we? Who would teach your wild stallion any manners then? And the damage looks worse than it actually is, just a few things knocked out of place and dusty, nothing more.” She extended a hand. “I’m May by the way, a five year veteran of these stables. I come here every summer. And judging by that new deer in headlights look, as well as Raven’s Shade bolting out of the training courtyard just now, you are Faolan.” She pauses for a second, “You are also a bit late to the party, most of the other new riders have been acquainted with their horse for a few hours now. Perhaps we should round up a party to go find yours, so you two can also get acquainted?”

I open my mouth to give a scathing retort, not liking being reprehended, until I saw the twinkle in her eyes. May was joking, she was just messing with me. I liked this girl, and gave a nod. She gives a grin, “Wait here a second.” Then she darts off, her pigtails bobbing as she disappears behind a few of the merchant stalls. She returns momentarily, dragging a blonde woman in her late twenties along with her. “Jenna this is our newest student Faolan who is Raven’s Shade’s rider. She seems to have lost her mount, feel like tracking down a wayward stallion?”

Jenna looks at me and gives what I have come to mentally refer to as the Moorhead smile. “I will gladly help Faolan track down Raven’s Shade. And welcome Faolan, I hope Raven’s Shade and May haven’t scared you away from our little stable. I promise it will get better.” I shrug my shoulders, “Nice to meet you Jenna. And it will take more than a bratty horse to get me to leave. Literally, my parents wouldn’t accept that as an answer. I guess a challenge will at least keep this forced camp from getting too boring.” Both young women exchanged a look but wisely chose to say nothing. Jenna then looks at me again. “May I have your cell phone?” she indicates the bit of technology poking from my pocket.

I look at her quizzically, “And why would you need that, if I may ask?” May rolled her eyes and answers my question before Jenna can, much to the other woman’s displeasure. “She isn’t going to steal it silly, paranoid much? It’s just so we can program the stable’s number into your phone. Don’t want you to get lost exploring out there. This way if you find Raven’s Shade and don’t want to ride him back you can simply call for a trailer.” Jenna looks less than pleased with May’s initial response but resigns herself to the fact that this was how the information was going to get across. I hand my phone over and she quickly enters in a new contact before handing it back. May smiles, “All ready?” I nod and she directs me in a Northern direction out of the main courtyard. “I think Raven’s Shade ran toward the Bobcat Girls’ training facilities but you might want to check the Northern Woods, just in case he looped around.”

I nod and dart off before I can see which way the other two go. I presume one went West through the remains of the merchant stalls. The other probably went South, I noticed a large arena, probably used for racing, back in that direction. Meanwhile I stepped out of the large courtyard and onto a well worn dirt road. I scuffed my boot in the dirt absentmindedly, silly little island couldn’t even afford proper roads. And it wasn’t like I could track Raven’s Shade, even if I had the skill there were so many hoofprints I wouldn’t have a clue which were his. From what I had observed of him, Raven’s Shade had been a stubborn brat yes, but he was a smart one. He hadn’t lashed out at me until I had unlocked the door of his stable stall, almost as if he knew that the chance to bolt would be while I was distracted by the lock on the stall. He almost taunted me into making a mistake, into not anticipating his bolting. But surely he wasn’t intelligent enough for that, horses couldn’t plot and plan. Could they?

I shook my head, dismissing the outlandish thoughts. Scanning my surroundings, I took a deep breath. May had mentioned the Northern Woods, a crafty stallion like Raven’s Shade would surely double back. He didn’t want to be found, and what better place to hide in the woods? Far better than the paddocks that surrounded Moorland Stables. I stepped off the worn road, climbing over the fence that kept the forest growth from the dirt of the road. Briars framed the fence, and tore at my clothing as well as exposed skin. Stupid stallion, couldn’t chose an easy place to get to. I push through the briars but halt when I hear gruff voices, there was no way Raven’s Shade would be anywhere near people acting so noisily. I almost step out of my spot among the briars, before I start catching snippets of what the voices are speaking about.

“Quickly, I hate all these kids running around, we might get discovered. Mr. Kemball swears this is all legal but I’m not so sure. The Moorlands still own this land, and there is that smith that keeps causing us trouble. He is rather intimidating, always talking about raping the land for our benefits.”

Another voice was heard, this one scoffing at the first. “Mr. Kemball is far more threatening than any old smith or stable owner. Let him worry about the land, you worry about getting it surveyed. He wants this land ready for development as soon as the paperwork has gone through, which will occur soon enough. Feel free to drive off any kids you see, they have no business here, give ‘em a good slap if necessary. Will keep ‘em from coming back.” At this I shrunk further back in the bushes, making a slight bit of noise. “What was that?” The first voice was speaking again, the second responding. “How should I know, go check it out you big lug, no one is to know we are here.”  
‘Shit,’ I think. I was going to get caught and after hearing all that, really didn’t want to be. These guys were seriously talking about hitting a rider to keep us out of the woods. I gritted my teeth, preparing myself to be discovered when I heard something crashing through the brush across the clearing from me. A sharp whinny was all the warning the two G.E.D. surveyors got before a thousand pounds or so of angry stallion was bearing down on them with sharp hooves and nasty bites. I heard their yelps of surprise and then pain as I watched Raven’s Shade chase after them in a strange fury. I heard the crash as their instruments fell to the forest floor, the crunch and screech as Raven’s Shade’s hooves crushed and rent the equipment into pieces. A snort and then the surveyors were gone, rushing back to where ever they had come from. The Raven’s Shade trots back into view, gives a glare in my direction, somehow seeing me in my hiding place deep within the brush, and then leaves in a West Southwest direction. After a few moments I follow, crossing the clearing into the forest again.

After a few minutes of searching, I find Raven’s Shade’s path through the forest. Brush was clearly trampled, and several smaller trees and shrubs had their branches snapped off in his passing. I huffed, the damned horse was going deeper into the forest, away from the stable. I was not rested enough for a chase the stupid stallion event like this. I sit down on a rock beside Raven’s Shade’s path, catching my breath. Even with the lengthened days at the beginning of summer, it was starting to get dark. I didn’t want to stay out in these woods any longer than necessary. I look down Raven’s Shade’s path, trying to make out his shape in the growing darkness without any luck, the horse had managed to leave me in the dust again. My phone vibrates, I look to see a strange number and assume it is one of the girls checking in. I sigh and click off the call, sending it to voicemail. I was going to find this horse tonight, even if I had to stay out until dawn to do so. I flick on the flashlight function on my phone, best to see the path I was following before I ran into something.

After about fifteen minutes of walking and several more missed phone calls from the girls, I see a light in the distance. Had I truly looped back to the barn? I didn’t remember switching directions, I had thought I was still going West Southwest. As I stared, the light flickered. “Willowisps?” I murmur to myself, hesitant to follow for a minute before I shake my head. Silly faery stories nothing more, I was foolish to be imagining them here. I had a real job to do and it was best not to psych myself out in an unknown wood. I continue my path towards the flickering light and after five or so minutes it resolves into the fires of a forge beside a shack-like house. Beside the forge stood an imposing figure, whom I took to be the smith the G.E.D. workers had been speaking of. Beside the smith’s shack was an awning, and tethered beneath it was a familiar stallion.

I cuss softly under my breath before jogging forward. “Raven’s Shade! How did you manage to get him tethered? The stable has been trying to get him back all afternoon and evening.”

The smith chuckles, “I assume you are this fine horse’s rider.” He sets down the tools he was working with, still glowing red from the coals of his forge, and strides over, extending a heavily gloved hand. “I am the Smith of Moorland and resident Keeper of Aideen, Conrad Marsdeen.” I take his hand, shaking it as I cock my head quizzically. I had never heard of a Keeper of Aideen before. He saw my questioning gaze and shook his head, “If you don’t know yet child, it is too soon to tell you. It is clearly not time, especially if you cannot control your own steed. Gain his respect and then I shall tell you.” I cannot help but roll my eyes at his response, already disliking this withholding of information. Conrad gives me a stern glare and I stop, he releases my hand from our handshake. As he does so, a small shock passes between us, surprisingly painful and sharp. His eyes go wide then narrow as he stares at me. He mutters something about how *I* was strange. I almost huff but another one of his steely looks silences the huff in my throat. “Nevermind that child, it is getting late. Surely you and your friend, Raven’s Shade, should be getting back to Moorland? The moon will be soon showing her pale face to the world. It is almost time for dreams.” I give him another quizzical look, surprised at the floweriness of his words but then nod. 

“I suppose we should get back soon,” I pause, glaring in Raven’s Shade’s direction. “That is if he will come back with me.” Raven’s Shade snorts, and Conrad chuckles. “I am sure he will listen to you, he is just as tired as you are. He must be looking forward to being home in his own stall as well.” Conrad finishes his statement with a steely glare at the stallion, and I swear Raven’s Shade bows his head in acknowledgement of the order. Conrad takes my hand and leads me toward the horse, having noticed my hesitation. “Don’t show fear, he will never respect you that way. Get up into the saddle girl, it’s the fastest way home.” I approach, nothing out of Raven’s Shade, he is still under Conrad’s gaze. I place an unsteady hand on his neck, no movement. Conrad pipes up “Need a boost? He’s a fairly tall horse.” Now I do give Conrad a glare, one his steely gaze cannot stop. It wasn’t like I was short or anything. Stubbornly, I grasp the saddle and pull myself up to prove myself. I wasn’t a weak girl either and managed to get one of my legs over the saddle as I settled into it with a smirk in Conrad’s direction. He shakes his head, chuckling softly as he untethered Raven’s Shade and hands the reins to me. “Hurry home now, the moon will light your path but more unsavory characters have been loitering around here as late. Best not dawdle, no sense in a pretty young thing like you running into trouble. Though that stallion of yours is a fine beast and would probably protect you from anything or anyone lurking.”

I nod and give a brief smile, “Thank you Conrad, for catching Raven’s Shade. And for giving me things to think about.” Conrad gives me a suspicious look but chooses not to say another thing, instead he waves me off. I give a click with my tongue and lightly tap my heels into Raven’s Shade’s sides, and miraculously he starts moving in the proper direction. He doesn’t bolt or shy or buck. I let go of the breath I hadn’t been aware that I was holding and began to direct him towards the dirt road that lead from Conrad’s smithy towards what I assumed was the stable.

Thirty minutes of riding brought me back to Moorland and three worried faces that immediately broke into relieved smiles when they saw me. Justin was the first to run up to us, “Fae! You found him. We gave up hours ago and were worried you had gotten lost too.” I frown, looking at him as well as May and Jenna. “You all thought I had gotten lost? I would have hoped you would have had more confidence in me than that.”

May opened her mouth to say something but Jenna cut her off, clearly too tired for her snarky lines. “You were not answering your phone, we all feared the worst.” I knew at this point I must have visibly shrunk in my saddle. I frown deeply and think of my words before saying them, because there really was no excuse. “I was so focused on finding Raven’s Shade, and had thought that someone talking would scare him off again. I should have thought things through a bit more, I didn’t mean to worry anyone.”

The others nod, I can still see a bit of disappointment in their eyes at my lack of communication though. I slide off of Raven’s Shade’s back, making sure to get my feet out of the stirrups so they didn’t get caught on the way down. I hold Raven’s Shade steady while I gave a shameful smile. “I am truly sorry, I hope you all can forgive me. I promise we won’t be nearly as much trouble tomorrow, will we Raven’s Shade?” I glare at the stallion for good measure. He snorts and flicks me with his tail. Nasty beast but my ensuing the yelp broke the tension however and the others shared a laugh at my expense. May flashed a smile “Looks like you have a ways to go with that boy, best get him into the stables before he gets any crankier.” Jenna nods her agreement, “You two can run the Cavaletti tomorrow, see how you work together as one unit. It’s far too late tonight to do it.” I nod and get ready to bring Raven’s Shade to the stable but Justin steps in, taking Raven’s Shade’s reins from my hands. “Come on Fae, I’ll show you how to get Raven’s Shade bedded down for the night.”

He flashes me a dashing smile, one that I knew would probably make most girls melt at the knees, I resist the urge to roll my eyes. I give a weak smile back. “Do you do this with all the new riders?” He shrugs, but I can see I had seen the truth. This was unusual for him, he was definitely going out of his way to make me comfortable. To flirt with me, which unfortunately for him was not going to work out. He was panting up the wrong tree, and should have realized that he was starting a dangerous game. He saw himself as a predator, an alpha here. And me? Well if I was interested in playing his game, which I was not, he would be the prey.

Justin lead me into the first stable, and indicated an empty stall. “That can be Raven’s Shade’s stall for now, it’s free and has fresh straw for bedding. You will need to clean his coat and hooves though, as well as feed him. I can help you if you wish.” He looked hopeful, I shook my head. “No thank you Justin, Raven’s Shade will never respect me if I don’t do this myself. Two caretakers will just confuse him. I need to do this.” He frowns but nods. “Come into the farmhouse when you are done. Dad has dinner made and I know the inn is out of beds. You can have m…. the spare room.” He pauses mid sentence, changing from one thing to another. I see genuine pain flash across his face for a moment, and I knew that this spare room wasn’t truly a spare. It must have belonged to someone who was now gone, someone who had been important to him. I nod, and lead Raven’s Shade into the spare stall. “I’ll be in in a bit Justin. Go meet with your dad, no need to keep him waiting longer.” Justin gives me a look a bit like a sad puppy but complies. I watch him leave, then turn to Raven’s Shade. I remove his bridle, saddle and wraps. I throw the wraps into the sink to wash, then place the saddle and bridle on the rack to be oiled.

Next I grab a curry comb to brush the tangles and dirt from Raven’s Shade’s coat. He surprisingly stood still, letting me take care of him. A vain little stallion indeed. Soon I had made sure that every patch of dirt, tangle and burr was gone, and Raven’s Shade’s coat glistened a glossy black. I stocked up his hay and oats, as well as made sure his water tank was full. After making sure his stall door was locked, I began to oil down his saddle and bridle, making sure the leather remained supple and was not worse for wear. I did not want my tack to break, nor did I want it to chafe against Raven’s Shade’s body. As frustrating as he had been, I couldn’t stand the thought of an animal suffering due to my negligence. His wraps were also washed in warm soapy water and hung to dry, to ensure no dirt remained on them. A last check showed nothing remained to be done, and although I was covered in dirt and smelled of horse and sweat, I was proud of what I had accomplished today.

As I turn to leave the stable, a faint voice whispers out “If you showed less fear, were less of a stupid girl, I would respect you.” I whirled around, ready to give the owner of the voice a tongue lashing but there was no one. Just Raven’s Shade giving me a dirty look. I sighed and rubbed my temples, I was obviously so tired I was hearing things, the barn was empty and it was very clearly time for bed.

I am still in a daze as I walk into the farmhouse, noticing the dining hall light was still on as I passed it. When I walked in, I was surprised to see that Justin was not the one waiting for me but an older man. One who I assumed was his father, I gave a slight cough as I entered to warn him of my presence. He looked up and smiled, “You must be Fae. I am Thomas Moorland, Justin’s father. He said you would be in late. There are some leftovers from dinner if you want them.” I shake my head, “No thank you sir, I am fairly tired and really just want to sleep. Justin said you have a spare room I could use?” Thomas pauses and frowns, “That would probably be his mother’s old room. From when she was a child living here. I am afraid it will be a bit dusty, no one has been in there since her death.”

I know I must have gone ghost white, it felt so wrong to be offered that room, one so important, so sacred to this family. “I wouldn’t want to intrude, a couch would be just fine. I’m not picky.” But Thomas snorts, quickly waving that suggestion off. “No my wife would kill me if I let a nice girl sleep on the couch just because of some bullheaded mourning. She would like that the room was being used again. It is yours for as long as you need. Many of the inns here fill up during the summer season, I can’t tarnish her memory by letting you go about homeless.”

All I can manage is a simple “Thank you” as he leads me to the room. After a few more minutes of brief chatter, he wishes me a good night. When I walk into the room, I am not surprised to see that my things had been transferred into it, I rummage through my bag, pulling out my phone charger first. I make sure to set an alarm as well as plug my phone in. I wanted to be up bright and early the next morning. I had a lot of work to do with Raven’s Shade, we had much bonding to do before we would ever work together as one unit. I am pleased to find that there was a small bath attached to the room as well. It made it quite easy to get ready for bed. As I finally lie down and started to doze off, I noticed the ceiling was covered in accurate depictions of the stars, with one notable difference. A harp, which lie right above my head. A harp that was so very familiar but I could not figure out for the life of me from where before I fell asleep. My dreams that night would be haunted by a strange melody and horses made from stars, as well as the strange voice from the barn speaking of Star Riders and Keepers of Aideen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, got some playlists for you.
> 
> Faolan - https://open.spotify.com/user/zesraer/playlist/3cCA9bRhIG36ErTvNICrzS
> 
> Raven's Shade - https://open.spotify.com/user/zesraer/playlist/3J2cq7XQ3DaTxmGqLNnfHL


End file.
